Black Box by Julie Schumacher

Black Box- By Julie Schumacher In airplanes, there are black boxes that investigators check after a plane crashes, to see what went wrong. Lena wants to find her sister Dora's "black box" before Dora's depression gets any stronger. Although Lena is younger than Dora, she has always been protective of her. So when Dora comes back from the hospital after overdosing on her medication, Lena realizes the influence Dora's depression has on her. Although Dora is considered to be well enough to go home, she skips school and doesn't take her medication. Lena is afraid to tell her parents about it,she doesn't want her sister to be back in the hospital. The only person she feels she can talk to is her neighbor Jimmy Zenk, who is known for staying back a year and wearing black. Black Box by Julie Schumacher is a serious and at the same time entertaining story of loyalty, family and depression. Although there is a very serious tone when Schumacher unveils the the whole spectrum of depression, it still shows laughter, love and compassion of family and friends. I'd give this 5 out of 5 stars because of the complexity of the story and the characters themselves. It's a story definitely worth reading. - Amanda M.